[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 146 (Wednesday, December 3, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1708-E1709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      10TH ANNUAL NORTHWEST INDIANA INNOVATION INDUCTION CEREMONY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 3, 2014

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great respect and enthusiasm 
that I congratulate Ivy Tech Community College Northwest and its 
regional partners, who recently celebrated their 10th Annual Northwest 
Indiana Innovation Induction Ceremony. At the ceremony, which reflects 
the ``Spirit of Innovation'' in Indiana, fifteen individuals and 
fourteen teams were inducted as members of the 2014-2015 class of The 
Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana. Of these individuals, 
several members were inducted as Society Fellows for their significant 
efforts in innovation. These individuals are Scott Albanese, Robert 
Coangelo, Robert Palumbo, Ph.D., Neeti Parashar, Ph.D., and Roger 
Pradhan, Ph.D. William E. Nangle was honored as the Gerald I. Lamkin 
Fellow for Innovation and Service, a special recognition named for the 
President Emeritus of Ivy Tech College of Indiana. Also honored were 
two Chanute Prize recipients, the BP ``One Global Team'' for the 
Whiting Refinery Modernization Project and PCL Alverno. In addition, a 
new team award designated ``Accelerating Greatness'' was presented for 
the first time this year, and the recipients were James S. Markiewicz 
Solar Energy Research Facility, Valparaiso University, and the 
Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority. For their truly 
remarkable contributions to the community of Northwest Indiana and 
their continuous efforts to cultivate a culture of innovation, these 
honorees were inducted at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, on 
Thursday, October 16, 2014.
   The Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana was created by Ivy 
Tech Northwest with the goal of highlighting and encouraging innovative 
individuals and groups within the not-for-profit, public, and private 
sectors, as well as building a ``culture of innovation'' in Northwest 
Indiana. The importance of innovation in Northwest Indiana, as well as 
globally, is crucial in today's ever-changing economy. Leading the 
Northwest Region is Dr. Thomas G. Coley, Chancellor, Ivy Tech Community 
College North West and North Central Regions.
   The fellows selected by the Society of Innovators were chosen for 
their significant innovative leadership and the impact of their 
accomplishments throughout Northwest Indiana and beyond. Scott 
Albanese, founder and chief executive officer of Albanese Confectionery 
Group, Incorporated, in Merrillville, launched his business thirty 
years ago. Today, the company generates over $100 million in sales and 
its products can be found nationwide, as well as in nine other 
countries. In addition, Scott invented the first gummy candy in the 
world with a distinguishable flavor, which was previously deemed 
impossible. Robert Coangelo is the founding farmer of Green Sense 
Farms, which is the nation's largest indoor, commercial, vertical farm 
and the largest user of Phillips LED grow lights. The organization 
grows produce in a controlled environment that is free of pesticides, 
herbicides, and GMO seeds while distributing its products throughout 
the Midwest. Robert Palumbo, Ph.D., professor and Alfred W. Sieving 
chair of engineering, inspired the effort to build the nation's fifth 
solar furnace at the College of Engineering at Valparaiso University, 
which is utilized by undergrad students to explore new ideas in solar 
research. Dr. Palumbo is now part of a ``pioneering'' team at the James 
S. Markiewicz Solar Energy Research Facility. Neeti Parashar, Ph.D., 
spearheaded a High Energy Physics Team at Purdue University Calumet as 
part of a large global collaboration to discover the Higgs-Boson 
subatomic particle, which gave the Nobel Prize to Peter Higgs of the 
United Kingdom and Francois Englert of Belgium. Roger Pradham, Ph.D. 
played a key role in the development of new carbon steel products for 
the automotive industry, and he is the leading developer of bake-
hardenable steels. Dr. Pradham received an AISI Gold Medal for his 
research outlining the implementation of bake-hardenable steels at 
Burns Harbor, and he currently holds four patents.
   I am also honored to acknowledge William E. Nangle, executive editor 
(ret.), The Times of Northwest Indiana, who was recognized as the 
Gerald I. Lamkin Fellow for Outstanding Innovation & Service. In his 
role, Mr. Nangle introduced the ``Munster Model,'' which provided the 
community with in-depth local and neighborhood news while also covering 
regional news. This model became a huge success in the journalism 
industry and is utilized nationwide. In addition, Mr. Nangle brought 
Indiana's seven largest newspapers together, producing statewide access 
to public records. Under Mr. Nangle's direction, The Times of Northwest 
Indiana became a national leader in its industry.
   The recipients of the Chanute Prize for Team Innovation should be 
commended for their contributions. The BP ``One Global Team'' for the 
Whiting Refinery Modernization Project utilized a single team concept 
on a world scale to conduct the largest and most complex refinery 
construction project in BP

[[Page E1709]]

history. PCL Alverno introduced total microbiology automation, which 
revolutionized the delivery of results to patients and physicians. PCL 
is the first to be designated as a Seimen's Microbiology Innovation 
Center in the United States.
   The Accelerating Greatness Award for Team Innovation included two 
recipients. The James S. Markiewicz Solar Energy Research Facility, 
located at Valparaiso University, houses the fifth solar furnace in the 
United States and the world's only solar furnace primarily designed, 
built, and used by undergrad students at an institution of higher 
learning. The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority is a 
regional organization that provides nearly $30 million annually in a 
proven collaborative model to leverage failing assets into more than $1 
billion in infrastructure and economic development.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my distinguished colleagues to join me in 
commending these outstanding innovators. The contributions they have 
made to society here in Northwest Indiana and worldwide are 
immeasurable and lifelong. For their truly brilliant innovative ideas, 
projects, and leadership, each recipient is worthy of the highest 
commendation.

                          ____________________